Russel Brand was on the last leg tonight and though I’m not a huge fan, I thought he might have some good chat about Donald Trump, which he did. Also, I found out he has a baby exactly the same age as Otis! Most refreshingly, he spoke briefly, but fairly candidly and incredibly positively about birth! It’s not often that a comedian, of either gender, talks about parenthood, pregnancy or birth in a positive way because, lets face it, that doesn’t lend itself quite so well to comedy. It’s usually the reverse, and a light hearted horror story is much more entertaining. But, it’s doing us all a massive disservice!
So comedians don’t talk about it positively, because then there’s no jokes to be had! But what about the rest of us? What’s our excuse? Annoyingly it seems to be a double edged sword.. as far I can fathom, we do it to be kind. No one wants to say they’re doing well, feeling great or loving it, just in case the person they are telling doesn’t feel the same. So we all moan and winge in the hope we are making someone else feel ok! I know this, because I do it myself. To friends without kids, and to each other, Papa Oatcake and I can’t stop raving about the good times, but stick a mama and baby in front of us and we totally play it down! Maybe if we talked about the parts of birth or parenthood that are awesome, it would encourage everyone to share the positives! Because let’s face it, yes, sometimes it’s a bit tricky, but a lot of the time it’s completely, heart wrenchingly brilliant and unbelievably, life affirmingly wonderful!

So if you’re not a parent yet, don’t worry, it’s mostly fucking amazing, the whole damn lot! I’ve realised I’m a greater person than I ever thought I was before; I think my body is bloody beautiful and totally magic, even though if you’d told me it would look this way before I got pregnant I would have bought a life time supply of Spanx and bio oil; I’ve found that I’m stronger than bloody Superman; My outlook on life has changed a million times for the better and I have honestly never felt love like it. When I make him smile, my heart melts!

So thanks Russel! Let’s share the positives! #sharethepositives

Ps this does by no means make me any less tired or less hangry than I was when I complained more!

Pps. I definitely just invented a hash tag. Which makes me a total Instagram nerd/ social media loser. But in the spirit of being positive I shall squash my shame and roll with it! #sharethepositives
Ppps. I’ve started volunteering for a charity called TellMeAGoodBirthStory. If you had a positive birth of any kind, you can share your story on their website to help women prepare positively for birth! And if anyone has particular concerns they can put them in touch with you to chat all things positive!